National Westminster Bank, Railings, Wall, Gatepiers And Lamp Overthrow

The National Westminster Bank, along with its railings, wall, gatepiers, and lamp overthrow, is a bank building dating to circa 1900, constructed in a Wrenaissance style. The lower level is built of ashlar, banded in two colours, while the upper stories are wide-banded brick in two shades of red. Stone dressings are present, along with deep overhanging wooden eaves featuring a dentil cornice, and a steeply pitched mansard slate roof with large brick stacks topped with stone copings.

The building has an L-shaped footprint. On the shorter, north facade, the ground level slopes away, with the plinth continuing as a short wall featuring gatepiers that form a small triangular forecourt. The building is three stories high plus an attic, with a basement on the north front. The west front has three bays, featuring attic windows with 12 panes, rising from the eaves, and 6-light sash windows. Stone swags are positioned between the windows. Four 12-light sash windows are located below the attic windows. The ground floor displays two 20th-century wooden mullioned and transomed windows to the left of the entrance, with segmental-headed pediments above all the ground floor openings. A central open pediment displays the coat-of-arms. The entrance is framed by a serpentine head door with a 4-panel door and fanlight.

The left return features a 1:1 bay arrangement, with an entrance located in an unlit wall. A full-height canted bay is present to the right, lit on each face, and the upper storey of this bay has a 6-light sash window. Stone garlands are on the outer faces, and tall, narrow 3-light windows are positioned below. The ground floor features a segmental-headed window. The entrance has a segmental-headed door with an 8-panel door and sidelight with decorative wrought-iron, similar to the basement lights, which lead to a flight of six steps with swept wrought-iron railings.

The wall is a continuation of the plinth in banded stone, with square gatepiers and a lamp overthrow (the lamp itself is missing). The banking hall's interior is encased, potentially gutted, with a suspended ceiling that may conceal original architectural features. The building was originally constructed for the London and County Bank, whose coat-of-arms is displayed on the exterior. It reflects Newhaven’s significance as a port at the end of the 19th century, a period when it was the sixth-largest port in the country based on revenue.